Democrat faces bipartisan calls to resign from Congress, end governor campaign amid sexual assault allegations

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House Republicans and Democrats are asking Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., to resign from the House of Representatives and end his California gubernatorial campaign amid serious accusations of sexual assault.

Fellow California Democrat Reps. Jared Huffman, Ro Khanna, and Sam Liccardo said Swalwell should resign, along with Reps. Teresa Leger Fernández, D-N.M., Eugene Vindman, D-Va., and Pramila Jayapal, D, Wash.

“This is not a partisan issue,” Jayapal told NBC, also noting Sunday that she would vote to expel him. “This cuts across party lines. And it is depravity of the way that women have been treated.”

Likewise, a letter signed by over 50 former Swalwell staffers described the allegations as “serious” and “credible,” calling for his resignation from Congress and suspension of his gubernatorial bid.

House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and his leadership also called for an investigation into the allegations and for Swalwell to end his gubernatorial bid.

“People feel confident that the allegations … are credible,” one unnamed House Democrat told Axios.

“We want a full house cleaning,” added another Democrat House member. “Get the garbage out of here.”

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said Saturday in a post to X that she will introduce a resolution to expel Swalwell from Congress. The resolution would need two-thirds of the chamber to vote in favor in order for it to pass.

As of Sunday, four women have accused the congressman of sexual assault, including one of his former staffers, CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle first reported.

The staffer, who for nearly two years worked for Swalwell, told CNN that he sexually assaulted her twice after she was intoxicated after drinking with him in New York City in April 2024.

When the woman woke up, Swalwell was reportedly having sex with her in his hotel bed, according to the outlet.

“I was pushing him off of me, saying no,” the woman told CNN of the incident, which supposedly left her bruised and bleeding. “He didn’t stop.”

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said Saturday that it is currently investigating this specific allegation.

Two other women also claimed Swalwell sent them unsolicited nude photos or videos, including a 24-year-old woman who was attempting to obtain a job on Capitol Hill.

Another woman claimed that the congressman kissed her publicly without her consent, according to the reports.

Swalwell has denied all allegations of sexual assault.

“These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the front-runner for governor,” Swalwell said Friday in a video post to X.

He continued, “I have certainly made mistakes in judgment in my past. But those mistakes are between me and my wife, and to her, I apologize deeply for putting her in this position.”

In a separate case, Swalwell is under Department of Homeland Security (DHS) investigation regarding allegations that he violated immigration and employment laws to keep a live-in Brazilian nanny in the U.S. without her work authorization.

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